Canon EF 100–400mm lens

The EF 100–400mm f/4.5–5.6L IS USM is a professional EF mount telephoto zoom lens manufactured by Canon Inc. The first version of this lens was announced in September 1998, and an updated version was announced in November 2014. It is a high performance telephoto lens most often used for sports and wildlife photography; the original version has received high ratings from purchasers at Amazon.com[1] and B&H Photo Video.[2] Photographers using APS-C cameras must apply a crop factor of 1.6x, giving the lens a field of view equivalent to a 160–640mm lens.

Whilst the original version has excellent optical performance, its design predated the mass-market availability of digital single-lens reflex cameras. The telescoping nature of the original design means that the lens zooms quickly, although not all users prefer this design.[3] According to Roger Cicala, the head of the American lens rental house LensRentals.com,

...although it's a compromise, it’s a very good compromise. It’s nearly as sharp as the [300mm and 400mm] primes and far sharper than a consumer lens. The huge range means getting the shot framed just right and not having to change lenses, and it’s relatively small and easy to shoot hand-held.[3]

The telescoping design means that the lens sucks in air when zoomed from shorter focal lengths to longer focal lengths. Unfortunately, with the lack of anything to prevent it, it also sucks in any airborne dust.[4] Although this was not considered a problem when used with cameras that used photographic film, the dust can settle on the sensor of digital cameras leaving a permanent mark on every subsequent photograph until it is cleaned off. Newer cameras with dust removal systems have mitigated this problem somewhat.[5]

This lens is compatible with the Canon Extender EF teleconverters on newer EOS bodies. Autofocus works with the 1.4× Extender (and only with cameras that can autofocus at f/8) and image stabilization (IS) works with both 1.4× and 2× Extenders.

The new Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS II was announced on 11 November 2014 (10 November in the United States due to time zone differences from Japan), with availability expected the following month. Among the changes from the Mark I version are:[6][7]

Specifications

Attribute f/4.5–5.6L IS USM f/4.5–5.6L IS II USM
Image
Key features
Full-frame compatible Yes Yes
Image stabilizer Yes Yes
Ultrasonic Motor Yes Yes
Stepping Motor No No
L-series Yes Yes
Environmental Sealing No Yes
Diffractive Optics No No
Macro No No
Push/pull zoom Yes No
Technical data
Aperture (max-min) f/4.5–f/5.6 to f/32-f/38 f/4.5–f/5.6 to f/32-f/40
Construction 14 groups / 17 elements 16 groups / 21 elements
# of diaphragm blades 8 9
Closest focusing distance 5.9 ft / 1.8 m 3.2 ft / 0.98 m
Max. magnification 0.2x 0.31x
Horizontal viewing angle 20° - 5°10'
Diagonal viewing angle 24° - 6°10'
Vertical viewing angle 14° - 3°30'
Physical data
Weight 1380 g / 3.1 lbs 1570 g / 3.46 lbs
Maximum diameter 92 mm / 3.6 " 94 mm / 3.7 "
Length 189 mm / 7.4 " 193 mm / 7.6 "
Filter diameter 77 mm
Accessories
Lens hood ET 83C ET 83D[9]
Case LZ1324 LZ1326
Retail information
Release date September 1998 November 2014
Currently in production? Yes Yes
MSRP (US$) $1,699 $2,199

References

  1. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00007GQLS
  2. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/162616-USA/Canon_2577A002AA_100_400mm_f_4_5_5_6L_IS_USM.html
  3. 1 2 Cicala, Roger (March 2013). "Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS". LensRentals.com. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  4. Canon published lens data — The EF 70–200mm f/2.8L IS; EF 70–200mm f/4L IS USM and EF 70–300mm f/4.5–5.6L USM have dust sealing. The published data shows that the 100-400mm lacks this sealing. Verified
  5. For example: Canon 50D Owners manual - Appending Dust Delete Data (Page 149)
  6. "Introducing the Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS II". Canon Rumors. 9 November 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  7. "Canon U.S.A. Introduces New Super-Telephoto Zoom Lens, The Compact And Highly Mobile Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM" (Press release). Canon U.S.A. 10 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  8. Carnathan, Bryan (18 November 2013). "Canon EF 200-400mm f/4 L IS USM Extender 1.4x Lens Review". The-Digital-Picture.com. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  9. "New 100-400 hood" (in Japanese). Japan: Canon. 11 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.

External links

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